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Paul Klee: Painting Music
Now available in flexi-cover, this illuminating work examines the fascinating relationship between music and painting in Paul Klee’s art. A talented violinist as well as a painter, Klee drew much of the inspiration for his abstract art from musical rhythms and structures. Like a composer, he developed and harmonized pictorial themes, weaving a complex series of signs and symbols into his painting. The book focuses on Klee’s decade-long tenure at the Bauhaus, where the artist’s theories and practice first merged, and where he developed his Color Spectrum, Square, and Polyphone painting series. Illustrated throughout with full-color reproductions of Klee’s paintings and etchings, as well as entries from his diaries, this unique study sheds light on an important aspect of Klee’s work while providing insights into his development as an abstract artist.
111 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1997
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
March 26, 2017
The best part of this book is its reproductions - vivid and sharp, vibrant with the joy that so many of Klee's paintings exhibit. Düchting's commentary must be read with the eye and imagination as much as the intellect, as the relationship between music and art is indirect and allusive. Music unfolds in time; art in space. Density of sound is different from density of line and color. Formal patterns and the delights of improvisation (Klee's favorite composers were
Bach and Mozart) unfold in ways intrinsic to the medium which cannot be translated exactly. But the attempt, as Düchting details throughout the history of Klee's paintings, can be exhilarating. It can also be a bit abstract and obscure - which is why the beauty of the reproductions is critical to the enjoyment of the argument.
As I was just elaborating the opposition between art and music - what Klee would better express as "polarity" - I remembered Alan Warburton's fluorescent animation of Bach's Prelude and Fugue in C Major. Klee would have been delighted.
Bach and Mozart) unfold in ways intrinsic to the medium which cannot be translated exactly. But the attempt, as Düchting details throughout the history of Klee's paintings, can be exhilarating. It can also be a bit abstract and obscure - which is why the beauty of the reproductions is critical to the enjoyment of the argument.
As I was just elaborating the opposition between art and music - what Klee would better express as "polarity" - I remembered Alan Warburton's fluorescent animation of Bach's Prelude and Fugue in C Major. Klee would have been delighted.
March 21, 2008
While I've always enjoyed Paul Klee's art, I had no idea that he was fascinated with conveying temporal and contrapuntal musical idioms in and through his art. Paul Klee: Painting Music by Hajo Duchting drew back the curtain to show me how Klee's philosophy of art and the artistic zeitgeist of the time worked itself out on the canvas. While I now see the music in his art, this book would take a second reading to really hear it.
April 3, 2022
Along with his friend Wassily Kandinsky, Paul Klee is one of my favorite visual artists, and it's refreshing to dip into a book like this, whose large-format pages contain many full-color reproductions of Klee's artwork, as well as a few black-and-white ones. The connections Düchting makes between music and Klee's art are interesting (although some of them did seem like stretches), and it was revealing to find out that Klee — who from an artistic standpoint was a constant innovator in pushing painting into unknown regions — in fact thought that the golden age was long gone as far as music was concerned, and that Bach and Mozart would never be equaled.
Düchting begins by considering various analogies that are possible between music and painting, and rejecting, along with Klee, "commentaries on his early work which made reference to nebulous musical qualities without paying any attention to his original use of form" (11), before tracing the throughline of supposedly stronger musical analogies across the course of Klee's career. Given this structure, though, I was disappointed at how little depth Düchting goes into throughout the book about the analogies Klee actually made use of in his art. In a move that would surely upset Rob Schneiderman, the jazz musician-turned-mathematician whose cranky essay in The Best Writing on Mathematics 2012 about the shallowness of most of the comparisons made in print between music and mathematics is probably the best thing in that book, Düchting notes it as relevant when Klee used a symbol of musical notation, such as a fermata, in a painting or drawing.
Another distraction was provided by the fact that the text of the book and its captions often translated the German name of the same artwork of Klee's into English in two different ways. Nevertheless, though, this book was overall a pleasure to read, and a welcome change of pace from the general text-heavy nature of my reading!
Düchting begins by considering various analogies that are possible between music and painting, and rejecting, along with Klee, "commentaries on his early work which made reference to nebulous musical qualities without paying any attention to his original use of form" (11), before tracing the throughline of supposedly stronger musical analogies across the course of Klee's career. Given this structure, though, I was disappointed at how little depth Düchting goes into throughout the book about the analogies Klee actually made use of in his art. In a move that would surely upset Rob Schneiderman, the jazz musician-turned-mathematician whose cranky essay in The Best Writing on Mathematics 2012 about the shallowness of most of the comparisons made in print between music and mathematics is probably the best thing in that book, Düchting notes it as relevant when Klee used a symbol of musical notation, such as a fermata, in a painting or drawing.
Another distraction was provided by the fact that the text of the book and its captions often translated the German name of the same artwork of Klee's into English in two different ways. Nevertheless, though, this book was overall a pleasure to read, and a welcome change of pace from the general text-heavy nature of my reading!
March 12, 2026
A marriage of art and music.
Creativity encompassing multiple senses is explored in this book which focuses on Paul Klee’s art and how it was influenced and inspired by music.
As a novice I could still enjoy the analysis presented here, even though some of it was beyond me. The full colour reproductions of Klee’s art were like a delightful surprise with each turned page, as there were many images I’d never seen before.
Delightful.
Creativity encompassing multiple senses is explored in this book which focuses on Paul Klee’s art and how it was influenced and inspired by music.
As a novice I could still enjoy the analysis presented here, even though some of it was beyond me. The full colour reproductions of Klee’s art were like a delightful surprise with each turned page, as there were many images I’d never seen before.
Delightful.
January 5, 2019
Prestel Munich|London|New York has re-issued this 1997 hardcover in flex cover in 2004,2016.
Paul Klee's paintings contain structural patterns or attempts to translate temporal patterns from music (rhythms) into paintings. His paintings are non-representational and provoke in me feelings of hypnotic abstraction. Wassily Kandinksy and artists of the Blaue Raiter period tried to combine these synasthetic influences, such an influence being stronger perhaps in the case of Kandinsky. But Klee held music supreme. The book makes connections between patterns traced by the tip of a conductor's baton, and a certain Klee painting, between lines of music, a Bach composition and a quaint and fine tesselation of a field in shades of blue green. Polyphonic painting is another chapter where the dots (more geometric than pointillistic) and colors almost make me think of the palette of Chris Ware, the creator of Jimmy Corrigan!
The odd thing about the acquisition of this slim volume is the serendipity of association. I was at one of the final days of the Neue Galerie exhibit of Macke, and Marc. The two both belonged to Blaur Raiter period making them contemporaries of Klee. Macke represented "familiar everyday activities like Sunday walks and outings in the country side in a highly stylized manner with brilliant colors". Notwithstanding this, he painted a short series of abstract paintings including (A Homage to J.S.Bach) in the fashion of the 'musical painting' of this period. During this period, Marc painted "genuinely abstract compositions, the color and the rhythmical effect of which were in accord with his artistic aspirations". However he remained unconvinced by the Kandinsky efforts to harmonize color and sound which he thought vague and pointless.
With Chapters titled, Klee's discovery of color and abstraction, At The Bauhaus, Polyphonic music, the role of music in Klee's later works, and possessing a wonderfully representative but not overwhelming visual palette to prove the theoretical discussion, the book is that elegant hybrid of a coffeetable book and a book to be read throughout, in other words, a cake that you can have and eat too. A short biography, arranged like a calendar, and end-notes that would make any purist happy round out the publication.
Paul Klee's paintings contain structural patterns or attempts to translate temporal patterns from music (rhythms) into paintings. His paintings are non-representational and provoke in me feelings of hypnotic abstraction. Wassily Kandinksy and artists of the Blaue Raiter period tried to combine these synasthetic influences, such an influence being stronger perhaps in the case of Kandinsky. But Klee held music supreme. The book makes connections between patterns traced by the tip of a conductor's baton, and a certain Klee painting, between lines of music, a Bach composition and a quaint and fine tesselation of a field in shades of blue green. Polyphonic painting is another chapter where the dots (more geometric than pointillistic) and colors almost make me think of the palette of Chris Ware, the creator of Jimmy Corrigan!
The odd thing about the acquisition of this slim volume is the serendipity of association. I was at one of the final days of the Neue Galerie exhibit of Macke, and Marc. The two both belonged to Blaur Raiter period making them contemporaries of Klee. Macke represented "familiar everyday activities like Sunday walks and outings in the country side in a highly stylized manner with brilliant colors". Notwithstanding this, he painted a short series of abstract paintings including (A Homage to J.S.Bach) in the fashion of the 'musical painting' of this period. During this period, Marc painted "genuinely abstract compositions, the color and the rhythmical effect of which were in accord with his artistic aspirations". However he remained unconvinced by the Kandinsky efforts to harmonize color and sound which he thought vague and pointless.
With Chapters titled, Klee's discovery of color and abstraction, At The Bauhaus, Polyphonic music, the role of music in Klee's later works, and possessing a wonderfully representative but not overwhelming visual palette to prove the theoretical discussion, the book is that elegant hybrid of a coffeetable book and a book to be read throughout, in other words, a cake that you can have and eat too. A short biography, arranged like a calendar, and end-notes that would make any purist happy round out the publication.
June 19, 2015
"I'm not fathomable at all in the here and now, since I live just as well with the dead as with the unborn, somewhat nearer the heart of creation than normal, but still nowhere near close enough."
The inscription on Paul Klee's tombstone sums up my take on this artist's work. I can get close to the pointillist compositions from the 1930's period, but mostly I struggle with the unfathomable.
However, I do very much like these Prestel 'living art' publications which are superb bright and colourful biographies of the life and work of the featured artists.
The inscription on Paul Klee's tombstone sums up my take on this artist's work. I can get close to the pointillist compositions from the 1930's period, but mostly I struggle with the unfathomable.
However, I do very much like these Prestel 'living art' publications which are superb bright and colourful biographies of the life and work of the featured artists.
January 17, 2012
I love Klee's work, and this book focuses on the intersection of his artistry as a musician with his artistry as a painter. Great reproductions of some of his works.
September 2, 2023
I kind of love this book. It does a rather good job of exploring this mindwarping aspect of Paul Klee and gives me a much better appreciation of works that did nothing for me before. The reproductions on the whole are excellent, though there are at least three puzzlingly reproduced in B&W, two of which look *horrible*: looking them up online and seeing them in their original color is a revelation.
I could have used more explanation at some points - there were times that things went over my head except in some murmuring subconscious way, but even those passages were well worth reading. Also, a relatively small number of works are mentioned that are not in the book, which - ok, economics and rights to publish, and such - but it would be nice if better information was given, like the original German name and/or the catalogue number - because it wasn't always possible to locate them online with the information giving. Try doing a search on Paul Klee's painting 'Wall Picture' - it's enough to make you gnash your teeth.
I could have used more explanation at some points - there were times that things went over my head except in some murmuring subconscious way, but even those passages were well worth reading. Also, a relatively small number of works are mentioned that are not in the book, which - ok, economics and rights to publish, and such - but it would be nice if better information was given, like the original German name and/or the catalogue number - because it wasn't always possible to locate them online with the information giving. Try doing a search on Paul Klee's painting 'Wall Picture' - it's enough to make you gnash your teeth.
November 11, 2023
This book focuses on the rather narrow subject of how Klee used music in his painting, and/or how he felt that music and painting could interact. I found it interesting, but I should go read a more broad biography of this artist, I might then understand his approach to music better.
Kandinsky, of course, also alludes to music often when describing his work. He focused more on the musical nature of color, while Klee is more interested, I think, in rhythm and structure.
It feels like they both made it more complicated than it needs to be. My personal system would be for each instrument or class of instruments to be a hue. Brass is blue/green. Woodwinds are red/purple, maybe orange. Strings are browns, yellows, oranges, etc…. But I don’t think translating a symphony into a visual work of art is going to result in a very good work of visual art.
In my work, I think I more use different melodies expressed in different ways throughout a piece. I’m not really obsessed with thinking about it though.
Kandinsky, of course, also alludes to music often when describing his work. He focused more on the musical nature of color, while Klee is more interested, I think, in rhythm and structure.
It feels like they both made it more complicated than it needs to be. My personal system would be for each instrument or class of instruments to be a hue. Brass is blue/green. Woodwinds are red/purple, maybe orange. Strings are browns, yellows, oranges, etc…. But I don’t think translating a symphony into a visual work of art is going to result in a very good work of visual art.
In my work, I think I more use different melodies expressed in different ways throughout a piece. I’m not really obsessed with thinking about it though.
August 18, 2018
Covers the connections between Klee’s painting and music through discussion of works in chronological order. The translation is clumsy and the content quite simple, but interesting, especially about his water colour techniques.
December 30, 2021
Interesting discourse on musician, Paul Klee's, incorporation of musical ideas in his visual art. It is brief but fascinating. Although there are a number of photos of Klee's art, many are very small. This isn't a book to read for the plates, but illustrative art pics are included.
December 30, 2020
If you love Paul Klee like I always have, read this book and you’ll understand that he’s an even bigger genius than you thought he was.
January 18, 2018
While I love all things Klee, I was bothered by a few things in this book (which interfered with my offering four stars here).
I don’t know if it’s the fault of the author or editor, but it bugs me that the book often references two or three different titles for the same work of art. This tendency can be confusing when looking back or forward to visual examples mentioned in the text.
Likewise, there were too many mentions of art works not shown visually in the book at all. I guess that is a standard practice in art folios, but it’s frustrating not to see something visually when it factors deeply into the color theory being discussed (as an example).
On a personal level, I also longed to see a few more of my favorite Klee paintings; however, I recognize that those selections may not have been germaine to the textual focus.
That said, I loved reading about Klee’s experiences as a musician that led to his artistic theories and practices. Worthwhile read! I love Klee’s work.
I don’t know if it’s the fault of the author or editor, but it bugs me that the book often references two or three different titles for the same work of art. This tendency can be confusing when looking back or forward to visual examples mentioned in the text.
Likewise, there were too many mentions of art works not shown visually in the book at all. I guess that is a standard practice in art folios, but it’s frustrating not to see something visually when it factors deeply into the color theory being discussed (as an example).
On a personal level, I also longed to see a few more of my favorite Klee paintings; however, I recognize that those selections may not have been germaine to the textual focus.
That said, I loved reading about Klee’s experiences as a musician that led to his artistic theories and practices. Worthwhile read! I love Klee’s work.
November 2, 2013
Very comprehensive book, yet short and sweet. Perfect for writing my art history essay. I enjoy the quality of works by Prestl publishing.
November 9, 2013
Well written and a good selection of images. That said I read it because of Kandinsky's similar interest. Enjoyment 4, but as a piece of work 5.
July 9, 2015
Excellent introduction to the life and art of Swiss-born Paul Klee ... with lovely color plates and copious quotations ... inspires one to want to visit the Paul Klee Center in Bern ...
October 7, 2016
Very heavy handed. While music undoubtedly played an influence, this book takes liberties and makes assumptions.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews